Abstract

We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of an electrically injected, spin-polarized, vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser. We have demonstrated spin injection from the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As into quantum wells, spin transport across a distance of for temperatures ranging from , and spin detection through optical polarization measurements with coherent light emission. Controlled switching between right- and left-elliptically polarized modes is achieved with a maximum degree of circular polarization of 4.6% measured at .

Received 16 February 2005Accepted 08 July 2005Published online 24 August 2005

Acknowledgments:

This work is being supported by the Office of Naval Research under Grant No. N00014-02-1-0899 and the Army Research Office (MURI Program) under Grant No. DAAD19-99-1-0198. M.H. acknowledges support under a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.